Sony Digital Cinema Group to Offer Integrated Solutions for Exhibitors

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ony Electronics has formed a new integrated business group that will provide movie theater owners with a variety of tools to support the sales and marketing of 4K CineAlta™ digital projection systems in the United States.

The Digital Cinema Services and Solutions Division will provide a turn-key solution for exhibitors, offering a wide range of services including equipment installation, maintenance and financing programs; plus the necessary expertise to create alternative sources for entertainment content.

The new division will be based in Los Angeles. Its management team will include Michael Fidler, who will serve as senior vice president.

With more than two decades of experience, Fidler most recently was chief executive officer of Digeo, a digital media and home entertainment technology company. He also previously held senior management positions in Sony’s consumer marketing group, where he was responsible for televisions and home audio/video components. Fidler was involved with the launch of both DVD and Blu-ray™ Disc products, and has established strong relationships with movie studios, music companies and other content providers.

“Digital cinema technology has been steadily moving into the mainstream of the commercial theater market,” Fidler said. “Our goal is to help accelerate this process by promoting greater awareness of the many benefits of 4K versus 2K projection. We’ll also work closely with exhibitors to develop key initiatives to increase consumer traffic and generate additional sources of revenue.”

Integrated Business ModelThe new group will focus on developing a seamless business-to-business model that features everything from projectors and servers to advanced security and content production.

To achieve this goal, the group will coordinate its activities with other Sony operations, including Sony Electronics’ various sales and marketing units in the U.S., as well as Sony Pictures Entertainment and the Sony Digital Cinema development team in Tokyo. The group will also work with an array of other companies in order to facilitate the overall growth of the digital cinema industry.

“Sony’s ability to develop and implement integrated business models gives us a unique perspective that will help drive the motion picture industry’s transition to digital,” said Stan Glasgow, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics. “This team will help us realize this while making 4K technology the standard for digital cinema.”